Bruce Walters
Encyclopedia
Bruce Walters is an artist who has exhibitioned digital artworks, graphite drawings and paintings primarily in the American Midwest. He received his MFA
from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
and BA
from the University of Iowa
. He is a Professor of Art at Western Illinois University
.
Walters' artwork has been included in more than one hundred solo, invitational, and competitive exhibitions. Though his work has been primarily exhibited in galleries in Illinois
, Iowa
and Wisconsin
, his work has been shown in London, England, Germany
, Japan
, New York
and Washington DC. He has won best of show awards in seven different media: from graphite drawings to digital artwork.
Since 2007, Walters has exhibited and published artworks centered on the history, traditions and symbolism of Halloween. Drawings from the Halloween Flight series were first exhibited at the Des Moines Art Center as part of the Iowa Artists 2008 exhibition. Vultus, a video sequence of one hundred cultural and Halloween masks, was projected on five art centers and galleries in October 2010 -ranging from forty foot high projections on the exterior of the Figge Art Museum, Davenport, IA to an interior projection at the Contemporary Art Center in Peoria, Peoria, Il. The first solo exhibition, at the Western Illinois University Art Gallery in 2009, displayed large paintings (the largest 12 x 10'), drawings, digital paintings, lenticular prints, exterior and interior video projections. The exhibition also incorporated dancers, actors and musicians -including a harpsichordist and violinist.
As a graphic design and illustrator, Walters has recently created life-sized paintings for permanent display at the Hauberg Museum for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (temporarily displayed in Millennium Park in Chicago), seven political cartoons for the Quad City Times’ Editorial page; drawings that were etched on thousands of commemorative World War II rifles for Springfield Armory; and artwork for several book and magazine covers. He also created more than a dozen websites, including a website for Public Works of Art in the Quad Cities in which Walters photographed and researched more than 100 public works.
Walters' career in education began at Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa where he assisted Alan Garfield in creating the first Bachelor of Arts program in computer graphics in 1984 (recognized by SIGGRAPH
). He taught at Marycrest for twelve years, serving as Chairperson of the Communication and Fine Arts Division for six years before beginning to teach at Western Illinois University in 1997. He taught the first graduate art classes at the Figge Art Museum
in Davenport, IA for Western Illinois University in 2005. Walters has also taught computer art classes at Augustana College
in Rock Island, IL.
Walters currently writes Art in Plain Sight, a continuing series of feature articles on public works of art published in the River Cities Reader.
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Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
and BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. He is a Professor of Art at Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University is a public university founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. Like many similar institutions of the time, Western Illinois State Normal School focused on teacher training for its relatively small body of students. As the normal school grew, it became...
.
Walters' artwork has been included in more than one hundred solo, invitational, and competitive exhibitions. Though his work has been primarily exhibited in galleries in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, his work has been shown in London, England, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Washington DC. He has won best of show awards in seven different media: from graphite drawings to digital artwork.
Since 2007, Walters has exhibited and published artworks centered on the history, traditions and symbolism of Halloween. Drawings from the Halloween Flight series were first exhibited at the Des Moines Art Center as part of the Iowa Artists 2008 exhibition. Vultus, a video sequence of one hundred cultural and Halloween masks, was projected on five art centers and galleries in October 2010 -ranging from forty foot high projections on the exterior of the Figge Art Museum, Davenport, IA to an interior projection at the Contemporary Art Center in Peoria, Peoria, Il. The first solo exhibition, at the Western Illinois University Art Gallery in 2009, displayed large paintings (the largest 12 x 10'), drawings, digital paintings, lenticular prints, exterior and interior video projections. The exhibition also incorporated dancers, actors and musicians -including a harpsichordist and violinist.
As a graphic design and illustrator, Walters has recently created life-sized paintings for permanent display at the Hauberg Museum for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (temporarily displayed in Millennium Park in Chicago), seven political cartoons for the Quad City Times’ Editorial page; drawings that were etched on thousands of commemorative World War II rifles for Springfield Armory; and artwork for several book and magazine covers. He also created more than a dozen websites, including a website for Public Works of Art in the Quad Cities in which Walters photographed and researched more than 100 public works.
Walters' career in education began at Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa where he assisted Alan Garfield in creating the first Bachelor of Arts program in computer graphics in 1984 (recognized by SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH is the name of the annual conference on computer graphics convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organization. The first SIGGRAPH conference was in 1974. The conference is attended by tens of thousands of computer professionals...
). He taught at Marycrest for twelve years, serving as Chairperson of the Communication and Fine Arts Division for six years before beginning to teach at Western Illinois University in 1997. He taught the first graduate art classes at the Figge Art Museum
Figge Art Museum
The Figge Art Museum is an art museum in Davenport, Iowa. The Figge, as it is commonly known, has an encyclopedic collection and serves as the major art museum for the eastern Iowa and western Illinois region...
in Davenport, IA for Western Illinois University in 2005. Walters has also taught computer art classes at Augustana College
Augustana College (Illinois)
Augustana College is a private liberal arts college located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. The college enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Covering of hilly, wooded land, Augustana is adjacent to the Mississippi River...
in Rock Island, IL.
Walters currently writes Art in Plain Sight, a continuing series of feature articles on public works of art published in the River Cities Reader.
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External links
- http://www.bruce-walters.com
- http://www.halloweenflight.com